Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life

Pigtales is a glimpse at the going-ons that take place (mostly) outside of the P&Q kitchen. Baby stuffs, things I love, general musings and other tales from my life as a momma, wife and semi-professional goofball.

Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life -- a tour of our typical day | via thepigandquill.com #motherhood #sahm #babyschedule
I don’t know what it is exactly about Day In the Life posts that draw me in so, but there’s something about getting to take a little field trip through some of my favorite bloggers’ or celebs’ everyday worlds that leaves me downright giddy. Maybe it’s because there’s almost always a quasi-taboo anecdote that makes the person instantly more relatable (heavens to betsy, Cameron Diaz poops when she gets up, too!? soulmatessss!) or maybe it’s just the satisfaction of snooping, in general, but whatever’s at play,  I find it absolutely captivating. In the off chance that you feel the same way, here’s a little peek into what makes up a typical day in the P&Q house. Hope you enjoy!

7:30-8:00am – Chris and I awake to the sound of Lana bumping around and babbling in her crib. I take a peek at the Nest cam to find that she’s still sleepily rubbing her face into the mattress or sucking on the sleeves of her zippy, so we’ll cuddle in bed for a few minutes while she wakes up a bit. Whenever possible, Chris gets her up in the morning in case he has a late day and doesn’t get to spend as much time with her in the evening, so they’ll chat and play a bit while he changes her diaper, and then he brings her into our bed where she nurses and plays until breakfast. She just learned how to turn on my phone, so naturally, selfies ensue.

Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life -- a tour of our typical day | via thepigandquill.com #motherhood #sahm #babyschedule
[doesn’t this creeper mom face just scream PIN MEEEEE]

9:00am – Chris is usually on his way out the door by now, so Lana and I clumsily scramble into the kitchen. We’ve got one full drawer on either end of the kitchen that’s been deemed Lana-appropriate (one full of measuring cups and baking accessories, the other cloth napkins and dish towels) so she’s got lots to keep her occupied while I get breakfast underway — but even so, there are plenty of mornings where I find myself attempting to fruit ninja a kiwi with one hand while propping a baby on my hip. (Cherish it, I know. Too soon she’ll be running away at my very approach.) These days, breakfast is usually pancakes, avocado toast or oatmeal — our go-to is made with bananas, cinnamon, a power seed blend, coconut oil and a dash of salt — with fresh fruit or leftover dinner veggies on the side.

9:45am – Clean up breakfast. I try to do most of the dishes while Lana wraps up eating, but every meal around here concludes with wiping down the floor, wiping down the high chair and wiping down the baby. In that order. Then we crank Pandora (Lana is currently digging Bob Marley, Bollywood and the Kidz Bop station, which packs its own brand of entertainment in the form of overly sexualized pop lyrics edited for the ears’ of babes) and bang out a load of laundry or a diaper stuffing session before nap. If I really have my crap together, we take a quick walk to the park or stroll over to Trader Joe’s to pick up last-minute fixin’s for lunch or dinner. Ah yes, and somewhere in here, Lana poops.

Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life -- a tour of our typical day | via thepigandquill.com #motherhood #sahm #babyschedule
10:30am – NAPTIME YASSSSSSSS. Well, almost naptime. We’ve been preceding morning nap with a quick walk around outside since Lana was 3 months old. (The smile on her face the second she greets that fresh air is only too sweet.) We switch Pandora to something mellow and stroll around in the backyard counting the plants in the herb garden, identifying each little green pre-tomato on our Sweet 100 plant, pointing at squirrels and pole dancing around the bistro umbrella. (There’s no other way to describe it.) Of late, Lana’s also developed a fascination with the backside of our lemon tree that has me convinced she’s seeing the ghost a previous tenant’s long-passed pooch or something equally entrancing. WHY KIDS GOTTA BE SO FREAKY SOMETIMES? Once we’ve made our rounds, it’s back inside for a fresh dipe and, if she’s feeling it, a quick nurse before we zip her back into her starfish suit and send her off to nap with a song.

While she snoozes, I make a mad dash to get myself ready for the day while tab’ing how I’ll spend the remaining 28 to 63 minutes. In an ideal world, that’d mean a matcha latte, Grey’s (am I the only one still watching?) and a leisurely scroll through Instagram, but by the time I make the bed (I can’t not do it), clean up the rest of breakfast and prep for lunch, I have just enough time to get out an email or two or edit a couple of photos for my next post. If I’m really managing my time well, this is my one opportunity to recipe test for the blog.

12pm – Lana’s up! I get her dressed for the day and we put together a lunch to share at home or a hefty snack if I know we won’t be eating out until later. If we have errands to run, now’s the time, and I try to schedule in a quick snack stop at the park so the afternoon’s not all Costco samples and Target clearance endcaps, much to my dismay. If we don’t have plans out, we take a longer walk after lunch or spend some time on the swing Chris installed outside for Lana’s birthday (she is can’t-walk-by-it-unless-you-intend-to-let-her-ride-it obsesseddddd). If it’s Monday, we hit up the pool for Mommy and Me swim class, which totally sounds like one of those meh things you’re just supposed to do with your kid, but it’s actually super fun and stupid adorable.

Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life -- a tour of our typical day | via thepigandquill.com #motherhood #sahm #babyschedule
3pm – Naptime round two. The kiddo is usually pretty wiped from being out and about or on her feet for the past couple of hours, so we wind down by reading a book (translation: I read Ninja Ninja Never Stop while she hucks toys around or empties the laundry basket) before a quick nurse and zippy time. This nap can be tricky if it’s not timed right, so sometimes it’s preceded by a little whining or hyped up crib-climbing, but most of the time she just rolls around chatting for a few minutes before falling asleep. Then it’s dishes from lunch and dinner prep for me, and laundry — always laundry. If the light is cooperating (and the nap runs long), I try to quickly shoot the recipe I tested that morning. I text Chris with an update of our day thus far, inevitably ending it with when do you think you’ll be home? I remind myself that this is a good time to pee.

4pm – Snack time! Feeding a growing babe is no joke, and since we try to limit the processed baby stuff, it takes a lot of time and consideration to choose “snack” foods that are quick to prepare and relatively fuss-free: nothing too crumby, sticky, gummy, or spillable. We share a banana or a smoothie or I leave Lana a little trail of dried pears and baby banana bread croutons along the coffee table for her to munch on while we dance around the living room or play in her house, but if I know dinner is going to be late or noticed that she didn’t eat much at lunch, we actually have a seated snack of berries or stone fruit, a few whole steamed green beans and maybe a leftover pancake or two — silver dollar, of course.

4:45pm – I pop Lana into the jogging stroller for a short run. Like, two-miles short, you guys. I’ve only had the stroller since Mother’s Day, and while it feels downright indulgent to get to spend some time sweating again (aside from nursing a sticky babe in an 80-degree house), pushing that shit around is kicking. my. butt. If I know Chris will be late, we make a stop at the park or the grocery store on the way home. Once home, we pull dinner together from the jigsawed assortment of elements I prepped throughout the day. Lana poops again.

Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life -- a tour of our typical day | via thepigandquill.com #motherhood #sahm #babyschedule
6pm – Chris gets home just as dinner hits the table, and Lana is literally pumping her little fists in excitement. On so many levels, the sound of his key in the lock brings me so much joy. There’s Lana’s delight at seeing him walk through the door; that hybrid sense of lightness and wholeness that returns when you’re reunited with your person, someone with whom to share the evening’s burdens, no matter how big or small. And similarly, someone to share in the elation of the day’s activities. She blew bubbles today! Climbed through all three tunnels at the playground without help! Took a poop the size of a roma tomato! It’s pretty special.

We make it a point to sup together whenever possible, but even if Chris and I plan to have a post-baby bedtime date-night in, we all sit down together while Lana eats. It tickles the heck out of me that she’s already adventurous when it comes to food, though I know that could very well change as she matures into a full-blown toddler. Most nights we have some variation of a bowl-type thing: pan-seared chicken thighs or my favorite broiled tofu, wilted greens, roasted veggies and a whole grain; a reliable slow-cooker meal heavy on the veg over quinoa pasta; or maybe turkey burgers with dairy-free pesto and lots of avocado up top. Homemade pizza has been making a frequent appearance, too, since it’s super customizable. And as for those date-nights in, DoorDash has taken all of our money. It’s just too easy.

Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life -- a tour of our typical day | via thepigandquill.com #motherhood #sahm #babyschedule
7:10pm – (Yep, 7:10, and we’re kinda obsessive about it. If it ain’t broke, ya know?) We kick off the ol’ bedtime routine. Bathtime with momma, jammies and stories with dad. I nurse her one more time for the night and she pauses, with increasing frequency, to point at all her favorite objects with an inquisitive “dah!”

Dah! Pillow. Dah! Pillow. Dah! Pillow. Dah! Bun bun. Giggle. Repeat.

I force a few cuddles from her fidgety little bod and am rewarded with big, sloppy, O-shaped kisses that are impossibly wet. Somewhere deep beneath the surface of my skin I feel a subtle electric buzz as my cells reorganize themselves to make room for the swelling of my heart. This is maybe my favorite moment of the day.

8:00pm – Wrapped one last time in her zippy and clutching bun bun, we turn on the Dohm and wave goodnight to the bedside lamp before singing our super secret version of Twinkle Twinkle. I lay Lana in her bed with one more kiss, and she flops around in a sweet, sleepy stupor until she falls asleep.

I sneak out to the living room where Chris greets me with a “how is she?” and a snuggle — perhaps my second favorite moment of the day — and big people time commences. We clean up the remnants of dinner, wipe down the stove, move back and forth between the sink, the fridge, the recycle bin with the comfy, practiced synchronicity of married folk. It’s nice.

Chris pours us each a glass of wine and we retire to the couch for Netflix, emails, half a dozen Nest cam checks, more photo edits, foot rubs. I say I should do a quick yoga sequence, but instead I fall asleep writing, and then attempting to edit, a blog post (this blog post) and Chris encourages me to wake up and shower so I can go to bed. I protest crankily and fall asleep again, ever crankier when I awake and realize I’m still not actually in bed. I whine. Check on Lana. Shower. Check on Lana again.

11pm-Midnightish – We climb into bed and I scroll through Instagram or daydream on Redfin while Chris answers a last work email or two. I mentally inventory what I’d like to accomplish during the next day’s naptimes and how we’ll spend our afternoon. Curse that I’ve stayed up so late. Finally, I peek at Lana on Nest one more time and sneak into the nook of Chris’ arm, still-wet hair and all, until we hear Lana’s bumps and babbles the next morning and greet the day again. 🙂

So there ya have it — our day in a not-so-small nutshell. Like maybe a Brazil Nut shell. I think those things are pretty big.
Have a great weekend, friends!
xo,
Em

p.s. Happiest birthday to my original bestie, my momma! Thanks for setting such a stunning example of mommahood at its best. Love you – mah!

p.p.s. I’ve gotten quite a few questions about how we transitioned Lana to solids and what we’ve been eating together, so I’ll be dedicating a future Pigtales post to just those things soon (which is why I kept the meal descriptions somewhat light here). Keep an eye out!

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OH! before you go…

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grilled artichoke and cherry tomato pasta with parm, parsley + garlic toast crumbs
sesame balsamic tofu bowls with chile mango + sunflower-cilantro pesto

12 Comments on “Pigtales 02: A Day In The Life”

  1. Thanks for sharing your slice of life, so freakin adorable! Especially that selfie! I can appreciate all the play by play (the poops and bottomless laundry pile haha) and a huge fan of music always in the background. And gotta love those fav moments! You’ve got a magic way with words and storytelling.
    Tangent…btw, so dig your kitchen setup and that stove tho! And I want a Shun set when I grow up haha
    Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

    1. Ha, that selfie. One of us looks pretty adorable there, that’s for sure. 😉 And, big sadface, we’re actually in a new kitchen now, which has a lot more space but a plain ol’ stove that makes me miss my classic Wedgewood dearly. I loved that thing! And those knives are one of the best investments we’ve made, for sure, but it would probably help if we got them sharpened once in a while — oops. Happy long weekend, friend!

  2. adorable. she is so cute, your mom shared photos when she would bring Chuck into the office, but now he’s not in the same office, so I don’t get to see her. tell her hi for me.

  3. I’m like you, I LOVE day in the life posts – I’m just so nosy about how other people spend their days, especially now I’m a new mum and trying to work out this whole parenting thing. Our little boy is four months old now so will be eagerly looking out for your weaning posts for the next couple of months. Also, where did you get Lana’s sleepsuit? We’re transitioning out of swaddling and I’ve not yet found a product I love…

    1. Hey Kate! Snooping is the best, right? Lana’s sleep suit is the zipadee-zip — I think I linked to it in the first mention? It’s only available online, but we swear by it. Between 3-4 months she was busting out of her swaddle and as soon as she would find her hands, all sleepiness would fade away. We put her in this on a whim and she literally stretched out, fidgeted a bit and went to sleep. It was nuts. Now it’s more of a comfort thing for her; she knows it’s sleepy time when we put her in it and she likes to pull on it and suck on the sleeves, but it’s still perfect as a wearable blanket since we’re not using a real blanket yet. Check it out!

  4. Yes; thanks for sharing the details!! Would you be able to post a picture of rhe kitchen drawers your daughter can play with in the kitchen? I like that idea! How old is your daughter?

    1. Hi hi hi! So I just sent you an email with a (pretty janky) picture of our kitchen drawer situation — hope it helps! She’s 13 months, and we’ve had the drawers set up for her since she was about 9 or 10 months — pretty much since she was just starting to pull up to stand. It doesn’t always completely hold her attention, but if I absolutely have to be in the kitchen and can’t be holding her, it buys me some time. Good luck!

  5. Oh one more question 🙂

    Could you send a picture of the swing you mentioned or where it is from? Sorry, I love your ideas & want to copy!

    1. Ok, I just sent this info in an email, too, but in case anyone else is interested, here’s the swing that we bought. Our tree is pretty high, so we bought two 15′ lengths of dock line, looped each one around the branch, tied each end off with a carabiner and clipped that to the swing hardware that’s included with the swing. Lana LOVES it. Have fun!

  6. Pingback: Pigtales 03: Feeding the Babe (Plus Vegan Coconut Waffles and Overnight Chia Pudding) | the pig & quill

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